LTA’S 2024 TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY ROAD TRIP

Beginning this spring, Clay is following John Steinbeck’s 10,000-mile trek around the USA (and making a few fascinating detours of his own). Traveling in a 23-foot Airstream, Clay’s expedition is a central part of LTA’s big initiative to take the pulse of America as it approaches its 250th birthday. You can follow Clay’s Steinbeck-related adventures in the stories and videos linked below and on the LTA Facebook site. Also, subscribe to our newsletter.

Travels with Charley mapMap of Steinbeck’s 1960 journey around the USA on display at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, Calif.

Assessing My Steinbeck Trip at Week Four

It has been about four weeks since Clay began retracing John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley Tour, shadowing the famous author’s 10,000-mile trek around the USA. Clay makes some observations on the difference between his trip in 2024 and Steinbeck’s 1960 journey.
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Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at Montauk Point, New York — Video Dispatch

When Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders returned from their heroics in Cuba in August 1898, they were quarantined at Montauk Point at the tip of Long Island.
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The Romance of America’s Greatest Game: An Emotional Visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame

I don’t know what I expected when I drove my Airstream into Cooperstown, New York to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It was an emotional day.
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Clay's personal cartographic detail of his Steinbeck journey through New England the last two weeks.

Clay’s Personal Cartographic Detail of the Steinbeck Journey Through New England

Clay’s personal cartographic detail of his Steinbeck journey through New England the last two weeks. Over the next few months, Clay is shadowing Steinbeck’s 10,000-mile trek around the USA (and making a few detours of his own).…
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A Visit With Author Jay Parini of Middlebury, Vermont

Sitting in the Airstream, Rocinante. I had a delightful interview with Steinbeck biographer Jay Parini of Middlebury College in Vermont.
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Sports, Lawn Care and Fishing at Karen’s Diner — Calais, Maine

It’s too early to draw conclusions about the country’s mood, but this is what I have heard in two weeks on the road.
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Mount Katahdin — Maine’s Tallest Mountain

Mt. Katahdin, which translates to “Greatest Mountain” in Penobscot, is the highest mountain in the state of Maine at 5,269 feet.
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Reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich While Traveling With Charley

Clay visits Cedar Rapids, Iowa, boyhood home of pioneering journalist and author William Shirer, who later became friends with John Steinbeck.
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Just - In - Time Recreation center in Lewiston, Maine

Resilience and Heart in Lewiston, Maine

Clay’s visits the recently reopened Just-In-Time recreation center in Lewiston, Maine.
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Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts where Thoreau lived

A Stop at Thoreau’s Walden Pond Near Concord, Massachusetts

Clay stops to visit Thoreau’s Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts as part of his Travels with Charley road trip.
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